UPDATE - A Plea for American Prisoners of War in Iraq

الرجاء يسلم اطلاق سراح هذا الجندي يدعى أحمد وهو غاب عن عائلته ، واسمحوا الحرب قد انتهت ، أن نتذكر أن نصف الأمريكية لم تؤيد غزو العراق ، شكرا لك
Please free Prisoner of War in Iraq - US Army Sergeant Ahmed Qusai al Taie

(BAGHDAD / SALEM) - UPDATE: DOD Announces Army Civilian Returned To Military Control. The Department of Defense announced today an Army civilian employee, supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, was Returned to Military Control (RMC) on March 25.

Issa T. Salomi, 60, of El Cajon, Calif., became unaccounted for on Jan. 23, 2010, and subsequently declared Excused Absence Whereabouts Unknown (EAWUN). He was believed to have been kidnapped in Baghdad, where he was assigned to U.S. Forces-Iraq. Salomi's permanent duty station is Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

During the Vietnam War, thousands of Americans were held as Prisoners of War, though they were never regarded as such by their captors.

Similar to the Bush/Cheney/Obama Iraq War idea of literally stripping the rights accorded by the Geneva Convention from a combatant for suspicions of "terrorism", the North Vietnamese viewed the American military as an illegal force, and claimed they were not bound to any international rules.

It led to the mistreatment of Americans at places like the Hanoi Hilton. Americans were horrified to learn upon their first mass release, that U.S. POW's were hideously tortured inside the walls of the North Vietnam prison complex. Slightly more than three decades later, a U.S. President and his entire cabinet, particularly Vice President Dick Cheney, solidly assumed the pose of America's former Communist enemies by endorsing torture as a national concept.

This article also considers a different kind of torture; the ulcer and gray hair causing variety, experienced by the families of captive Americans who are so helpless to make a difference in a place as far away as Iraq, or Afghanistan, or Vietnam.

I will examine the status of the various Americans that we know of who were captured in the current war. Iraq is not the only war by any means, though it was the scene of so much fighting for so many really hard years.

Within the U.S. military, Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl of Ketchum, Idaho was captured in Paktika province in Afghanistan, on June 30, 2009. The Pentagon declared him Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown on July 1 and his status was changed to Missing-Captured on July 3.

In relation to the missing soldier, a talking head at FOX news who has never put his boots on the ground in Afghanistan, or any other war for that matter, quickly stated that it is OK for our enemy, the Taliban, to kill a fellow American. "Fox News Analyst" Lt. Col. Ralph Peters, a regular on-air personality at America's most polarizing, politically skewed, and outright dishonest TV network, went right to work bringing this soldier's public image down.

Like Marine Pfc Bobby Garwood, the last POW to emerge from Vietnam in 1979, the machine immediately began preparing to grind this man under its heel^[1].

Also among the missing and very possibly alive, U.S. Army Sergeant Ahmed Altaie of Ann-Arbor, Michigan was kidnapped 23 October 2006 in Baghdad. Since his capture, Ahmed's father has turned 75, the war in Iraq has been greatly reduced in scope, Bush has moved out of the White House, and his family and friends have never given up hope, after three and a half very long years^[2].

The people who are holding Ahmed, if you are reading this, you should take the high road and deliver this man back alive. He had a dedication to his adopted country, surely you can appreciate that, and he was trying to do what he believed was right to help the people of Iraq. It is clear now that the U.S. mission has been a disaster for Iraq, but Ahmed and the hundreds of thousands of other Americans who answered the call were operating on information that most believed to be true.

I explained recently how Salaam Alaikum is the greeting in all of the Arab world, that means "Peace be with you". The people holding Ahmed, if they read this, should live out that spirit and show the Americans that people can forgive. Three and a half years is a long punishment, this man should be allowed to rejoin his aging father and family who miss him so much.

الرجاء يسلم اطلاق سراح هذا الجندي يدعى أحمد وهو غاب عن عائلته ، واسمحوا الحرب قد انتهت ، أن نتذكر أن نصف الأمريكية لم تؤيد غزو العراق ، شكرا لك

A 41-year-old Sergeant in the US Army, Ahmed Altaie, whose last name is sometimes spelled al Taie, is a linguist or interpreter, a 'terp' as they are known in-country, with the Provincial Reconstruction Team Baghdad. He is one of many who have been captured in this war. Uniquely, he is one of the few who still may be alive.

Altaie, who was married, disappeared with his brother-in-law when he went to visit his wife in Baghdad. His brother-in-law was set free quickly, but alone. The people who captured Ahmed demanded a $250,000 ransom. Months later, on 14 February 2007, a 'proof of life' video of Ahmed was released by his captors.

Sadly for most families, the conclusion to their days, weeks, months or longer of worrying and hoping, is a report of "partial remains" being recovered.

His friends and family still monitor the Internet, check emails and conduct other research because they believe he is alive and waiting to return to the United States. The U.S. Army Reserves maintains a Web page for Ahmed also^[3]

At the time of his disappearance in 2006, U.S. forces conducted raids in portions of Sadr City in an effort to locate their bi-lingual comrade, to no avail. The U.S. government offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his recovery^[4].

James Văn Thạch, a highly decorated Army Captain and Veteran of the war in Iraq, pays close attention to issues of this nature. He reminded us today that Sergeant Ahmed Altaie must be remembered, and located.

At the request of Prisoner of War, US Army Sergeant Ahmed Altaie's former wife, Linda Racey, people are increasingly visiting a special Facebook page, "Free Prisoner of War US Army Sergeant Ahmed in Iraq"

Linda Racey said, "Today is Sgt Ahmed Altaie's father's birthday. He is 75. You can't imagine the fear in Ahmed's family that their son is gone." She has worked for 3- 1/2 years advocating for his release. She is asking people to join the site and help initiate calls for answers of Ahmed's POW status.

"It has been long enough and the Militia Shi'ite group that has Ahmed is not being pushed for his release," Racey said.

She is looking for ideas and support of all kinds. The Facebook page already has more than 1400 members. In regard to that she added, "If Ahmed knew all of your support and love for him he would be so grateful."

Linda Racey told Salem-News.com today, that she is happy to share information about Ahmed, so look for a special feature report in the coming days with details about Ahmed's story.

"On behalf of Ahmed and his mother and father and brothers thank you so much for your kind words but we are in need of ACTION NOW to get him RELEASED."

It is one of this nation's least appealing attributes. The only people that the wars in the Mideast were intended to affect and help, are those of the mostly Islamic people of these two nations.

Every American who dies in the Iraq War, started under President George W. Bush, did so "for the good of the Iraqi people", so we were told.

Over 5,000 Americans in the military have been killed, and tens of thousands have been seriously injured and maimed.

Families have been ruptured and continue to be, due to the immense loss that the Iraq War represents, and it will serve Americans well to remember that almost everyone we have helped is Muslim.

Most of the hardship and grief has been shared with members of the Iraqi Army and other members of the Coalition.

Law Of War And Peace In Islam
The rules which have been framed by Islam to make war civilized and humane are in the nature of law, because they are the injunctions of Allah and His prophet (blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) which are followed by Muslims in all circumstances, irrespective of the behavior of the enemy. It would be instructive to research into how well the West has adopted the laws of war given by Islam fourteen hundred years ago; and, even after their adoption, how well the West has managed to attain those heights of civilized and humane warfare behaviour which Muslims have reached through the blessings of Islam.^[6]

In the case of Ahmed Altaie, you are talking about a person who put a lot on the line by being an Iraqi serving in Iraq. These men are viewed in a poor light for not opposing the occupying forces and actually being a part of them; they always have a price on their heads.

Most do not live to tell the tale, but some, like Pfc Jessica Lynch of West Virginia, who was attacked in 2003 along with Sgt. Donald Walters of Salem, Oregon, and several other soldiers, survive to share their harrowing accounts.

Of course she had to tell the government and the media that the deeds being credited to her were actually the deeds of her experienced Sergeant from Salem, Oregon.

I know Don Walters' parents. It is an honor to just write his name. I had the sad job of approaching their home when word came that he had passed.

I was with KATU, The ABC station in Portland, Oregon at the time. I recall how his family appreciated the opportunity to tell the world what a great person Don was.

It is no wonder he was lauded by Jessica Lynch. That young woman has my ultimate respect too, a certain kind that few people really earn^[7].

Video of a captured American, 60-year old Issa Salomi, appeared in global media outlets in February 2010. He reportedly went outside of the Camp Liberty/Victory Base Complex in Iraq without his teammates, or other US military personnel.

A group reportedly abducted Salomi in January 2010. It was first reported that Salomi is a U.S. contractor, but he instead is apparently a temporary U.S. Army Civilian employee.

The video was posted by a Shiite militant group in Baghdad. The "League of the Righteous" claims to have abducted Salomi, though he was not initially identified on the videotape.

The League of the Righteous are demanding the release of militants and the prosecution of security contractors from Blackwater, now known as Xe Services, who are accused of killing 17 Iraqis in 2007 in Baghdad.

The captive Salomi stated on tape that, "The second demand is to bring the proper justice and the proper punishment to those members of Blackwater company that have committed unjustifiable crimes against innocent Iraqi civilians."

He added, "And to bring justice by proper compensation to the families that have been involved in great suffering because of this incident."^[8]

The Washington Post reports that Issa Salomi's kidnapping is the first involving an American since 2008. It's been a couple of years, but the threat remains high, and procedures are under review to help military units avoid being captured during pre-mission briefings.

Lt. Col. Patrick Wright, the outgoing director of the U.S. Forces-Iraq personnel recovery division, said during an interview in January from Baghdad’s Al Faw Palace, the headquarters of the American military in Iraq, "If someone’s missing, someone’s looking for them."

At this time, 21 people, including Salomi, are on the list of the missing in Iraq. The search continues for 18 of these individuals. The others are in Iranian custody – their families say the three were hiking in northern Iraq. Most of the missing are American contractors; only two of them are American service members. The rest are Iraqi American citizens working as 'terps' and others are contractors working for the U.S. military.

In addition to these Americans there are others, including four South African security contractors who went missing in Baghdad in 2006^[9].

Kirk von Ackermann was an American contractor who went missing for a significant period of time. There are still sites dedicated to him, though the federal government did say they knew he had been killed.

Kirk was working for Ultra Services of Istanbul, Turkey when he disappeared in Iraq on 9 October 2003. For some time, his whereabouts and the exact circumstances of his disappearance remained unknown.

Wikipedia states that his car was found on a road between Kirkuk and Tikrit, with his equipment and $40,000 still inside. On 14 December 2003 his colleague, Ryan G. Manelick was gunned down just after leaving Camp Anaconda, which today is known as Balad.

The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command says they recently determined that Kirk von Ackermann died on 9 October 2003 in a botched kidnapping attempt.

He is reported to have been a former Captain of the United States Air Force, a former employee of Impact Intelligence, LLC, and also the "former Deputy Director of intelligence for NATO operations in Kosovo, where he had been decorated for operations behind enemy lines." Prior to heading to Iraq, Kirk von Ackermann was a manager at Siebel Systems Inc., a business software company in San Mateo, California^[10]^[11].

According to ePluribus Media's count from a little less than two years ago, there were eight American men publicly known to be missing in Iraq:
Kirk von Ackermann (Referenced above)
Timothy E. Bell
Aban Abdel Malek Mahmoud Elias (also Aban Elias)
Radim Sadeq Mohammed Sadeq (also Dean Sadek)
Jeffrey Ake
Sgt. Ahmed Qusai al Taayie (Referenced above)
Pfc. Byron W. Fouty
Sgt. Alex Ramon Jimenez^[12]

Aban Abdel Malek Mahmoud Elias also known as 'Aban Elias' of Denver, Colorado was kidnapped on May 3, 2004

A 45-year-old civil engineer, possibly with the US Army Corps of Engineers, Elias was kidnapped while working on a road project near Baghdad. Elias has not been heard from since he was seen blindfolded in video footage aired in 2004. His mother is said to blame his kidnapping on his choice of car, a new Jeep Cherokee SUV. Elias is an Iraqi-American who had moved back to the Middle East, living in Jordan and the UAE, with his family. Married, father of three. His mother is said to have traveled to Iraq to try and gain his release.

45-year-old, electrician for Halliburton subsidiary KBR. Bell has been missing since the fuel convoy he was driving in was hit by gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades in an attack outside of Baghdad. Nine Americans were killed and at least 17 were injured. Thomas Hamill, truck convoy commander, was taken hostage and later set free by US forces. The remains of Ssgt Keith "Matt" Maupin, also missing after the attack, were recently identified. Timothy Bell is the only member of his convoy who has not been accounted for. Bell is the father of three and previously served in the US Army. He was planning to be married in the summer of 2004.

Radim Sadeq Mohammed Sadeq also known as 'Dean Sadek' of Charlotte, North Carolina was kidnapped on November 2, 2004

Formerly worked for SkyLink USA at the Baghdad Airport, he was said to be working for a cell phone company under contract to the US Army at the time of his abduction. Sadek is a Lebanese American. He was kidnapped from his home in the Mansour district of Baghdad.

Radim Sadek has not been heard from since he was seen in video footage aired in 2004. Divorced and remarried, he is the father of two sons.

Owned and operated a water-bottling equipment company, Equipment Express. Ake was installing a bottled water line that his company had manufactured when kidnapped.

His abductors contacted the family shortly after he was taken, but have not been heard from since. Married, father of four children.

Pfc. Byron W. Fouty of Waterford, Michigan has been missing in Operation Iraqi Freedom since May 12, 2007

A Private First Class, this 19-year old soldier in the US Army was with other soldiers who were was ambushed. All three were abducted; one was later found killed.

Sgt. Alex Ramon Jimenez of Lawrence, Massachusetts has been missing since 12 May 2007.

The 25-year old Specialist in the US Army was ambushed and abducted in Iraq with two other soldiers, one of whom was later found killed.

There are great resources on the Internet for locating this information. I have tapped a few and will review what I have found.

CAPTURED - DECEASED
April 16th, 2004 :: Confirmed Captured
USAR SSG Keith M. Maupin
DOI 09 APR 04
(Captured as PFC, Promoted in Absentia 01 MAY 04 to SPC, Promoted in Absentia 01 APR 05 to SGT, Promoted in Absentia 17 SEP 06 to SSG) Remains Recovered 20 March 2008, Remains Identified 20 March 2008, Change of Status from Missing-Captured to Deceased 31 March 2008.

October 23rd, 2006 :: DUSTWUN *
December 11th, 2006 Status Change to Missing-Captured
SPC Ahmed K. Altaie (Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie)

May 12th, 2007 :: DUSTWUN
June 16th, 2007 2 ID Cards Recovered (Jimenez & Fouty)
29 June 07 Status Changed to Missing-Captured
USA SPC Alex R. Jimenez, 25, of Lawrence, Mass.
USA PVT Byron W. Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Mich.

4 Contractors with a Private Security Firm were abducted when their convoy was attacked, Fall 2006.
No names have been released. They remain missing.

DUSTWUN/ Killed in Captivity
June 19th, 2006 :: Iraqi Locals Report Captured
USA PFC Kristian Menchaca DOI 16 JUN 06
USA PFC Thomas L. Tucker DOI 16 JUN 06
Remains of both Soldiers announced as Identified 22 JUN 06 after recovery

USA PFC Joseph J. Anzack Jr., 20, of Torrance, Calif.
DOI 12 May 2007 - Remains Recovered 23 MAY, 2007

MISSING
April 9th, 2004 :: Civilian (KBR) Timothy "Tim" Bell, DOI 09 APR 04
Convoy Attack, Abu Ghraib Region, Iraq - Same Loss Incident as Tommy Hamill and Matt Maupin

RETURNED TO MILITARY CONTROL 09 JUL 04
CPL Wassef ali Hassoun :: Absent 20 JUN 04, Captured 01 JUL 04

CONFIRMED CAPTURED - RECOVERED 13 APR 03
DOI March 24:
USA Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ronald D. Young Jr., 26, Lithia Springs, Ga.
USA Chief Warrant Officer 2 David S. Williams, 30, Orlando, Fla.

DOI March 23:
USA Spc. Edgar Hernandez, 21, Mission, Texas
USA Spc. Joseph Hudson, 23, Alamogordo, N.M.
USA Spc. Shoshana Johnson, 30, Fort Bliss, Texas
USA Pfc. Patrick Miller, 23, Park City, Kan.
USA Sgt. James Riley, 31, Pennsauken, N.J.

DUSTWUN - RECOVERED 01 APR 03
DOI March 23:
USA PFC. Jessica Lynch, 19, Palestine, West Virginia

DUSTWUN/Missing - Status Changed to KIA
USA Sgt. Donald Walters, 33, Salem, OR - Remains ID'd
Confirmed as Captured and Executed: 27 MAY 2004 Awarded POW Medal Posthumously
USA SGT Edward J. Anguiano, 24, Brownsville, Texas - Remains ID'd
USA SPC Todd M. Bates, 20, of Bellaire, Ohio - Remains ID'd
USMC LCpl. Thomas A. Blair, 24, Wagoner, OK - Remains ID'd
USA Sgt. George Edward Buggs, 31, Barnwell, SC - Remains ID'd
USMC Pfc. Tamario D. Burkett, 21, Buffalo, NY - Remains ID'd
USMC Cpl. Kemaphoom A. Chanawongse, 22, Waterford, CT - Remains ID'd
USMC Lance Cpl. Donald J. Cline, Jr., 21, Sparks, NV - Remains ID'd
USAF Capt. Eric Das, 30, Amarillo, TX - Remains ID'd
USA Master Sgt. Robert J. Dowdy, 38, Cleveland, OH - Remains ID'd
USA Pvt. Ruben Estrella-Soto, 18, El Paso, TX - Remains ID'd
USMC Pvt. Jonathan L. Gifford, 30, Decatur, Il - Remains ID'd.
USMC Pvt. Nolen R. Hutchings, 19, Boiling Springs, SC - Remins ID'd
USMC Cpl. Evan T. James, 20, Hancock, Il - Remains ID'd
USA Spc. James Kiehl, 22, Comfort, TX - Remains ID'd
USMC Sgt. Bradley S. Korthaus, 28, Scott, IO - Remains ID'd
USA Sgt. Elmer C. Krause, 40, of Greensboro, N.C - Remains ID'd
USMC Pfc. Francisco A. Martinez Flores, 21, Los Angeles, CA - Remains ID'd
USA Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Villareal Mata, 35, El Paso, TX - Remains ID'd
USMC Staff Sgt. Donald C. May, Jr., 31, Richmond, VA - Remains ID'd
USMC Lance Cpl. Patrick T. O'Day, 20, Sonoma, CA - Remains ID'd
PFC Kevin C. Ott, 27, of Columbus, Ohio - Remains ID'd
USMC Sgt. Fernando Padilla-Ramirez, 26, Yuma, AZ - Remains ID'd
SFC Gladimir Philippe, 37, of Linden, N.J. - Remains ID'd
USA Pfc. Lori Piestewa, 22, Tuba City, AZ - Remains ID'd
USMC Sgt. Brendon Reiss, 23, Casper, WY - Remains ID'd
USA Pvt. Brandon Sloan, 19, Bedford Heights, OH - Remains ID'd
USN Lt. Nathan D. White, 30, Abilene, TX - Remains ID'd
USMC Lance Cpl. Michael J. Williams, 31, Yuma, AZ - Remains ID'd
USAF Major William Watkins, Danville, VA - Remains ID'd

CIVILIAN CAPTIVES - Status Resolved
April 9th, 2004 :: Civilian (KBR) William "Bill" Bradley, DOI 09 APR 04
Convoy Attack, Abu Ghraib Region, Iraq - Same Loss Incident as Tommy Hamill and Matt Maupin
Remains located and Identified January 2005 in vicinity of Loss Incident

August 13th, 2004 :: Captured : Civilian Independent Photojournalist Micah Garen
Kidnapped from Market Nassiriyah, Iraq :: Released 22 August, 2004

June 12th, 2004: Confirmed Captivity: Civilian Paul Johnson, Lockheed Martin Employee.
Executed in Captvity, June 18, 2004, Saudi Arabia ::
Partial Remains Recovered

April 09, 2004 :: Confirmed Captivity: Civilian Thomas "Tommy" Hamill, KBR Employee.
Captured in Convoy Attack in region of Abu Ghraib, Iraq (Maupin, Bradley & Bell Loss Incident).
Escaped Captivity 02 MAY 04, Returned to US

April 09, 2004: Kidnapping not Publicized: Civilian
Nicholas E. Berg, Independant Businessman.
Executed in Captivity, May 7-8, 2004, Iraq :: Partial Remains Recovered

September 16th, 2004 :: Confirmed Captivty: Civilian Eugene "Jack" Armstrong, Gulf Services Co.
Kidnapped from home al-Mansour, Baghdad, with Jack Hensley and UK Civilian Ken J. Bigley
Executed in Captivity, September 21, 2004, Iraq :: Remains Recovered

September 16th, 2004 :: Confirmed Captivity: Civilian Jack Hensley, Gulf Services Co.
Kidnapped from home al-Mansour, Baghdad, with Eugene Armstrong and UK Civilian Ken J. Bigley
Executed in Captivity September 20, 2004, Iraq :: Partial Remains Recovered

November 01, 2004 :: Civilian Roy Hallums, Saudi Arabian Trading and Construction Co
Kidnapped al-Mansour, Baghdad
Rescued September 07, 2005

* DUSTWUN is an abbreviation for duty status - whereabouts unknown used by the United States Department of Defense. It refers to servicemembers who cannot be located but have not been confirmed captured or dead, much like the better-known missing in action or MIA status, but a servicemember can only stay in DUSTWUN status for ten days.

=================================================

Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines.

Tim holds numerous awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), first place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website. You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com

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Comments Leave a comment on this story.

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Osotan; March 25, 2010 9:04 am (Pacific time)

Thanks Tim. They are not forgotten.

Sean Rubak March 25, 2010 8:08 am (Pacific time)

This war had it's genesis during the Bush Administration (they also started the housing bubble). The thousands that were killed on 9/11/2001, and the thousands killed since, were because of Bush/Cheney's failure to kill Osama Bin Laden, in which they had several chances. We were encouraged to go to war because of the intense war-mongering speeches by republican senators.

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UPDATE - A Plea for American Prisoners of War in Iraq

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